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Phil Julian - Trace (LP)

Phil Julian is a UK based sound artist, composer and improviser active since the late 1990′s, with a prolific output under the Cheapmachines alias and his own name.

His work has been released on a catalogue of imprints and encompasses sonic textures ranging from harsh squalls of noise to compositions structured around hyper-minimalistic timbres and drones. Studio recordings and live performances within Europe and North America have focused on the use of electronics, particularly unstable and/or chaotic systems e.g. modular synthesisers, feedback, contact microphones, objects and surfaces and computer based works.

“TRACE” was recorded at Stockholm's EMS Elektronmusikstudion during Julian's Guest Composer residency in 2013. Using a combination of the vintage analogue equipment at EMS and various computer processes, the material on “TRACE” was recorded and mixed specifically for diffusion over the Audiorama 17.4 surround sound system, custom built and installed inside the decommissioned torpedo workshop on Skeppsholmen island in Stockholm. “Open Form” which takes up the A side of the release is made up of much shorter pieces recorded over the two week residency. “Corona” is an improvised piece using analogue electronics only and “Arrival” uses a custom computer patch alongside a complex set of processes running on the huge EMS Buchla synthesiser.

The recordings combine the dynamics and space associated with modern composition and electroacoustic works with the density and abrasive qualities more often encountered in noise and contemporary computer music.